How Baylor took on a modern college basketball problem: Rebuilding a team from scratch

WACO, Texas — Last December, Baylor general manager Jason Smith met with coach Scott Drew and told him the program needed to adjust its thinking on recruiting. "It doesn’t matter if they’re 18 or 25, if they are from Kansas or China," Smith told him. "Everybody on the planet is a free agent now." This is a reality of college basketball in 2025. This story is about Baylor, but it could be about any number of high-major teams. According to statistics from the NCAA, more than 1,500 Division-I players entered the transfer portal after 2023-24. The number for this offseason...